Giving In
by ravenhaired
Summary: What happens the evening Elaida a'Roihan finally gives into Meidani's flirtations. Pillow friendly slash.


**Giving In**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own The Wheel of Time

**Summary:** Just a short, rather plotless fic about the evening Elaida finally gives into Meidani's flirtations. Probably set somewhere Pre-KoD.

* * *

Elaida swirled the tea cup in her long, elegant fingers. She slowly brought it to her mouth, blew, and sipped, raising her eyes to peer at Meidani.

The blonde woman had already run out of small-talk and was patting the comb in her hair. An awkward habit, Elaida noted, and one that was unbecoming for an Aes Sedai.

Slowly, she lowered the cup from her mouth and smiled. She very rarely smiled. Meidani's face flickered into uncertainty, before she could help it, and then clicked back into that almost-calm she seemed to have mastered, though her eyes danced.

Elaida raised a finger thoughtfully to her lip, tapping, allowing the silence to become prolonged and uncomfortable. The clock chimed and Meidani shifted, glancing around. A bead of sweat escaped from her hairline and Elaida had to stop the smiled that quirked her lips as Meidani hurriedly dabbed it away. My my. She was not even sparing the concentration it required not to feel heat.

"You seem pensive today, Mother," Meidani said finally.

"I am, daughter," Elaida's voice was huskier than she had intended it to be.

Meidani's lip trembled, a small mishap that she tried to cover by taking an inappropriately loud slurp of tea. Elaida cringed.

Elaida was tried of this. Perhaps it was the uncertainty that gnawed at her stomach when she allowed herself a moment of weakness or the fact she was craving wine instead of this dreadful honeyed tea, but Elaida a'Roihan was nearing the end of her patience.

Elaida needed information and Meidani was not providing it. She allowed herself a long-suffering sigh and said "You seem ill-at-ease, daughter. What is troubling you?" This was more direct that she had ever been in the past. Coyness, Elaida realised, would get her nowhere with this woman.

Meidani's lips moved soundlessly for a time, as though thinking for something that would not violate the first oath. Elaida almost rolled her eyes. The fools in Salidar had sent _this_ woman as a mole?

"I am concerned for you, Mother," Meidani said slowly.

Elaida barked a rough laugh. "Concerned? For _me_?" By the light, how had she ever managed to get _that_ past the first oath?

"Yes," Meidani took a sip of tea – much more dignified this time, Elaida noted – as though stalling to allow herself a moment to think. "You're becoming strained, Mother. The stole, I fear, weighs on you too heavily,"

Elaida raised an eyebrow. "Weighs on me too heavily?"

"You allow things to…trouble you," Meidani continued, realising, perhaps, that she had not worded her first attempt at sympathy in the most pleasing way. "I- I would like to help you ease the burden…in any way I can," The last was forced out, breathily.

Elaida stared. She had never been pretty, and would willingly concede that, and had not been on the receiving end of many attempted seductions, but even she was aware of how pathetically transparent this was. She licked her lips, unsure of how to proceed. She had said to Tarna that she would perhaps allow Meidani to renew the pillow friendship that she had left behind over thirty years ago, but now, faced with Meidani's seduction, she paused. Even Elaida had her ethical breaking points.

The unspoken offer hung in the air, and Meidani smiled shakily and set her tea cup down. She drew in a long breath, which expanded her overly-generous cleavage.

"Wine?" Elaida said abruptly.

"What?"

"Do you want a cup of wine? This honeyed tea…I prefer a cup of wine at this time of the evening,"

"Oh…yes…yes I would,"

Elaida moved off to the sideboard, aware that her hands trembled as she poured two goblets of shimmering purple liquid. She had not thought that the idea of being physically intimate with someone after being alone (and happily alone, Elaida's subconscious snapped at her) for so long would make her stomach do flips.

"This is from Andor," She heard herself say, offering a useless titbit of information.

Meidani accepted the wine without a word.

Elaida sat and took a long gulp, aware Meidani's eyes, suddenly hawk-like, were on her.

_Oh light. _

Slowly, Meidani settled her free hand on Elaida's knee, squeezing gently.

_Oh light oh light oh light._

"The wine is nice?" She sounded simple.

"Yes,"

"Good,"

Meidani took a last mouthful, perhaps for courage, and then sat her goblet on the small table. "How can I help you?"

_By telling me what I want to know and then leaving me alone_.

"I'm…" Oh for the love of the light. Her voice was trembling. She cleared her throat. "I'm not sure what you have in mind, Meidani,"

Meidani made no reply, but her hand squeezed more firmly and she leaned closer so Elaida could feel her breath on her cheek.

Elaida turned her head ever-so-slightly so their eyes met. Meidani's golden hair seemed like copper in the dull light from the candles, her eyes dark pools and her plump lips soft and, if Elaida ignored their trembling, inviting.

Elaida exhaled softly, and slowly reached out and tipped up Meidani's chin with her forefinger. They paused momentarily, each considering the implications of what was about to occur, and then Elaida, renouncing her niggling doubts, placed her lips against Meidani's. What she was doing was, after all, for the good of the world.

Their lips pressed together, and, for the moment, it was a chaste kiss. Both still had their eyes open and both peered at each other across the bridges of their noses.

Meidani, maybe realising she would have to play a convincing part, shut her eyes and moved her mouth against Elaida's, reaching up to clasp her cheek.

Elaida's eyes closed and she responded, even biting down on Meidani's lip. Meidani made a quiet noise of enjoyment and said, between frantic kisses, "Oh yes…I forgot you liked that,"

She bit down hard on Elaida's lower lip, making Elaida hiss in pain and pull Meidani closer. Meidani, in turn, pulled Elaida onto her knees, so their upper bodies pressed together, their kisses growing with ferocity. Meidani broke their kissing to gnaw on Elaida's ear, which, to her horror, Elaida found she enjoyed. She was not keeping a calm, rational mind in this, she realised distantly. She was getting sucked into the pleasure of having someone swirl their tongue around her earlobe.

A dull ache began to throb between Elaida's thighs. She moaned, unwillingly, as Meidani began to knead her breasts through the fabric of the dress.

"Do you want to…?" Meidani murmured in her ear, as her other hand began to push up the hem of Elaida's dress.

Elaida's eyes flew open. It would have been so much easier had Meidani not spoken and allowed Elaida's body to respond without her brain engaging.

"…alright," She croaked. Not the most enthusiastic response, but it satisfied Meidani, who soon began to loosen the tightness between her thighs, making Elaida shudder and gasp with pleasure.

Elaida, who had always prided herself on her self-sufficiency, threw back her hand against the chair in a final splutter of pleasure, before tremblingly finishing. She was vaguely aware of Meidani cocooning herself around Elaida, almost protectively, Elaida would have thought had she been more naïve.

She did not, Elaida noted, ask for Elaida to administer the same affections on her. They were silent for a minute then, Meidani asked, flirtatiously "Feel better?"

"Yes,"

Meidani kissed her jaw. Elaida gazed reflectively at the fire that burned in the grate. How exactly did one proceed from here? Did Meidani expect her to pour out all her troubles, all her woes, all the flaws in her plans so she could run back to tell the Salidar Aes Sedai? Meidani now thought she had cajoled Elaida into intimacy, and somehow Elaida had to find a way to use the other woman's complacency to her advantage.

**End**


End file.
